Toilet tissue holder and dispenser



April 28, 1964 J. M. PENA TOILET TISSUE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed June 27, 1962 IN VENTOR.

Jose M. Peha United States Patent 3,130,932 TOILET TISSUE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Jose M. Peiia, 502 E. Ash, Laredo, Tern, assignor of ten percent to Arnnlfo Garcia, Laredo, Tex. Filed June 27, 1962, Ser. No. 205,649 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-553) The present invention relates to a holder and dispenser for a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue and has to do with a vertically elongated magazine which is such in construction that it may be aptly and satisfactorily installed at a suitable place in a bathroom wall.

Persons conversant with the art to which the invention relates are aware that it is old in the art to provide a built-in holder and dispenser which has a loading opening at the top of a vertically elongated magazine, exit means at the bottom and associated supporting means for the roll which renders the latter accessible for use, in a now generally well known manner.

An object of the present invention is to improve upon prior art holders and dispensers. To this end, one improvement pertains to the entrance through which the reserve rolls are inserted in a manner to load the roll storing chamber or space in the magazine. A conveniently openable and closable cover or door is provided to achieve this featured aspect of the improved concept.

Another improvement has to do with the provision of a simple open-ended tubular member which constitutes the magazine and wherein the front wall at the bottom thereof has an opening for a readily insertable flanged unit which is such in construction that it provides a discharge chute facilitating the step of guiding the lowermost roll into a position for supported accessible use.

The improvement regarded as of chief and most significant importance pertains to the simple, practical and reliable means which effectually suspends and releases the lowermost roll of paper so that it may drop under the forces of gravity into the chute for discharge and subsequent use and so that, at the same time, the nextabove roll of toilet paper is checked in its descent and is consequently trapped and prevented from entering the chute until it is needed for use.

A general objective is to improve upon and reduce the number of parts entering into the combination thereby not only increasing the efficiency of the structure as a whole but also rendering the same less costly to manufacture and to otherwise simplify factors of assembling and sale.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description of the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

FIGURE 1 is a View in front elevation showing a fragmentary portion of a bathroom or an equivalent wall and illustrating the upper and lower loading and discharge ends of a built-in toilet tissue holder and dispenser constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view on a larger scale and which is taken on the vertical section line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary View with parts in section and elevation which shows the step in the operation wherein the lowermost roll has been tripped and released and wherein the descent of the next above roll has been checked in a manner to assume a suspended position and so as not to interfere with the released roll.

Briefly summarized the invention is characterized by a tubular vertical elongated magazine embodying a storing chamber and having an entrance opening at an upper portion for inserting the rolls so that they may temporarily load the storing chamber in said magazine, having an exit opening at its bottom and cooperable guiding means for delivering the lowermost roll to and through said exit opening, means cooperable with the exit opening for mounting the ready-to-use roll in an accessible position (FIG. 2), and manually controllable roll suspending and releasing means mounted in the lower portion of said chamber, said latter means embodying component portions which function in a manner to trip and release the bottommost roll and simultaneously comes into play to check the descent of the next-above reserve roll that it will be held in readiness for use when it is needed.

With reference now to the figures of the drawing the numeral 6 designates a vertical stationary wall, for ex ample a bathroom wall, wherein suitable upper and lower openings 10 are provided to accommodate the associated components of the invention. The invention itself comprises a rigid sheet material open-ended tubular member which is denoted generally by the numeral 12., the upper open end 14 being provided with one or more upstanding attaching tabs 16 screwed or otherwise fastened in place at 18 to a stud 20 which may be said to be behind the room finishing wall 6. It has already been pointed out that the invention is intended to be installed behind the wall 6 or within the confines of associated walls and studding depending upon the wall construction. The lower end 22 of the tubular member 12 is also open. The front flat wall of the tubular member as denoted at 24 is provided at its upper portion with an opening 26 which is registrable with the upper wall opening and in addition suitable opening means is provided at the bottom for registration with the discharge opening 10. Fitted into the first-named opening is a suitable frame 28 which has a positioning and stabilizing flange 30 which fits into the opening and is provided with an ex terior lateral flange 32 which abuts and provides a finished edge or molding around the wall opening. This frame serves to accommodatingly support a lid-like cover 34 which cover has its upper end hingedly mounted at 36 and is provided at its lower upwardly swinging end with a suitable fingergrip 38. In practice the cover or drawer is swung up to uncover the opening whereupon the rolls of toilet tissue or paper are permitted to enter the chamber 40 for loading the same in an obvious manner. The roll of paper which is in use is designated at A in FIG. 2 and the subsequently usable rolls are conveniently designated at B, C and D. In other words the space or chamber 40 is shown loaded with a reserve supply of rolls of tissue B, C and D. The guiding and discharge means at the lower open end of the structure is denoted as an entity by the numeral 42 and comprises a simple chute having vertical spaced parallel side walls 44 and a curved wall 46 registering with the flanged discharge opening 48, the flange being denoted at 50. It will be noted in FIG. 1 and also in FIG. 3 that the flange 50 provides a rectangular ornamental frame which is provided With suitable outstanding ears 52 which coact in supporting a readily applicable and removable spindle or shaft 54 which, in turn, is fitted through the usual cardboard hub or center 56 as shown in FIG. 2 to support the roll A which is being used.

The mechanical manually actuatable suspension and releasing device or means which serves to hold the stack of rolls in the assembled ready-to-use relationship shown in FIG. 2 comprises a simple but reliable device. Generally speaking the device is in the form of a crank. The intermediate vertical portion 58 of the crank is journaled for rotation in a fixed bearing 60, the lower horizontal end or arm 62 providing a suspension and release lever and being provided at its free end with a fingergrip 7 principles of the invention.

if) 64. The upper safety check arm constitutes a swingable finger 66 and this finger has the retaining position seen in FIG. 4 on the one hand and the out-of-the-way position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 on the other hand.

It will be evident that the levers or arms 62 and 66 are in proper angular relationship whereby when the arm 66 is flatwise against the interior of the front wall 24 the arm 42 is at right angles thereto in which position it functions as a handle and release device and underlies and supports, for example, the roll B in readiness for gravitation into the hopper-like receiver or chute 42. The cross-section of a roll of toilet tissue is about 4 /2 inches but experience has shown that the levers 62 and 66 Work smoother if the distance between them is approximately one inch shorter, that is approximately 3 /2 inches. Consequently, when the bottom lever or handle 62 is turned for release of a roll the top lever 66 just barely touches the top of the bottom roll when it enters in between the two rolls and is then in the right position to serve as a check and rest when the bottom roll is completely released.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A storage type holder and dispenser for a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue stacked one atop the other comprising: a tubular magazine embodying front, back and side walls cooperating and providing a storage chamber, said front wall having an entrance opening at an upper end portion of said wall to permit the user to insert several rolls to temporarily load said chamber, said front wall having an exit opening at its bottom, roll guiding and discharging means fitted into the bottom portion of said chamber for receiving and delivering the lowermost roll to and through said exit opening, a bearing sleeve fixed vertically on the interior of said front wall midway between the opposed side walls of said chamber, the lower end of said sleeve being flush with the upper marginal edge portion of said exit opening, and manually coritrollable roll suspending and releasing means comprising a single unit embodying a vertical crank journaled for rotation in said bearing sleeve and complemental upper and lower horizontal arms at the ends of said crank and at right angles to the lengthwise axis of said crank, said arms being linearly straight and disposed in planes parallel to each other, said lower arm being in a plane even with the plane of the upper marginal edge of said exit opening and extending normally into the interior of said chamber and having a free end portion terminating adjacent the vertical axis of said chamber and thus adapted to underlie a portion of the lowermost roll and disposed tangentially in respect to said roll, said upper arm being normally in a position parallel to and residing in an outof-the-way position in contact with the interior surface of said front wall and which when swung into play being adapted to assume a ready-to-function position tangential to and beneath the bottom of the roll which is next above the then released lowermost roll.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said lower arm is equipped at a free end thereof with fingergrip means which is accessible by way of said exit opening to facilitate catching hold of the same and swinging it in a horizontal plane from its normal suspending to a releasing position and to simultaneously swing the upper arm from its normal out-of-the-way position to its readyto-function roll suspending position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,057,973 Merritt Apr. 1, 1913 1,686,911 Fredlund Oct. 9, 1928 2,407,971 Black Sept. 24, 1946 2,605,975 Page et al. Aug. 5, 1952 2,627,382 Borton Feb. 3, 1953 2,758,800 McCants Aug. 14, 1956 2,839,346 Lawalin June 17, 1958 2,872,264 Nehring Feb. 3, 1959 

1. A STORAGE TYPE HOLDER AND DISPENSER FOR A PLURALITY OF ROLLS OF TOILET TISSUE STACKED ONE ATOP THE OTHER COMPRISING: A TUBULAR MAGAZINE EMBODYING FRONT, BACK AND SIDE WALLS COOPERATING AND PROVIDING A STORAGE CHAMBER, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING AN ENTRANCE OPENING AT AN UPPER END PORTION OF SAID WALL TO PERMIT THE USER TO INSERT SEVERAL ROLLS TO TEMPORARILY LOAD SAID CHAMBER, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING AN EXIT OPENING AT ITS BOTTOM, ROLL GUIDING AND DISCHARGING MEANS FITTED INTO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING AND DELIVERING THE LOWERMOST ROLL TO AND THROUGH SAID EXIT OPENING, A BEARING SLEEVE FIXED VERTICALLY ON THE INTERIOR OF SAID FRONT WALL MIDWAY BETWEEN THE OPPOSED SIDE WALLS OF SAID CHAMBER, THE LOWER END OF SAID SLEEVE BEING FLUSH WITH THE UPPER MARGINAL EDGE PORTION OF SAID EXIT OPENING, AND MANUALLY CONTROLLABLE ROLL SUSPENDING AND RELEASING MEANS COMPRISING A SINGLE UNIT EMBODYING A VERTICAL CRANK JOURNALED FOR ROTATION IN SAID BEARING SLEEVE AND COMPLEMENTAL UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL ARMS AT THE ENDS OF SAID CRANK AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LENGTHWISE AXIS OF SAID CRANK, SAID ARMS BEING LINEARLY STRAIGHT AND DISPOSED IN PLANES PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, SAID LOWER ARM BEING IN A PLANE EVEN WITH THE PLANE OF THE UPPER MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID EXIT OPENING AND EXTENDING NORMALLY INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING A FREE END PORTION TERMINATING ADJACENT THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID CHAMBER AND THUS ADAPTED TO UNDERLIE A PORTION OF THE LOWERMOST ROLL AND DISPOSED TANGENTIALLY IN RESPECT TO SAID ROLL, SAID UPPER ARM BEING NORMALLY IN A POSITION PARALLEL TO AND RESIDING IN AN OUTOF-THE-WAY POSITION IN CONTACT WITH THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID FRONT WALL AND WHICH WHEN SWUNG INTO PLAY BEING ADAPTED TO ASSUME A READY-TO-FUNCTION POSITION TANGENTIAL TO AND BENEATH THE BOTTOM OF THE ROLL WHICH IS NEXT ABOVE THE THEN RELEASED LOWERMOST ROLL. 